Tempus Fugit
by E.M Blaine
Summary: *** On Break ***It's not always good to get what you wish for, and even worse when "Time" isn't exactly on your side.
1. Intro: A Beginning?

**Okay, so I'm new to all of this, your gonna have to be patient with me. Any original characters are the work of those that created them, and borrowed with permission. **

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You know that old saying 'be careful what you wish for, you just might get it?' Yeah I can't see you but I know that you're rolling your eyes and muttering '_bullshit'_, cause that was my reaction as well, or at least it used to be.

See I've only ever had two dreams or wishes if you prefer. One to go fast, and the faster I was going the better I liked it. The second dream, which to most would seem impossible, was to be the leader of the Voltron Force.

My name is Daniel Chandler

I'm sixteen years old

And for the last three months, five days, twelve hours and fifteen minutes, I have been the de facto leader of the Voltron force.

I know what you're thinking, congratulations, isn't this what you wanted, and what are you complaining about.

Now see that's where things get sticky, yes I wanted to be leader of the force, but not because the original force got themselves caught in some inexplicable trap and turned into human popsicles

Yeah okay, perhaps I should start at the beginning, but just so you know, I can only tell part of the story some of it, isn't mine to tell, and other parts I don't know cause I wasn't directly involved, Liz didn't tell us everything I'm sure of it.

Who's Liz? Oh yeah, she's new and well talk about your 'trials by fire' I'm sure she's probably regretting coming anywhere near all of us. Okay so I'm getting ahead of myself again.

To really explain, I suppose I should go back to a couple of weeks before shit hit the fan with the rather dull and boring announcement from Lance during flight class that we were going to be getting a new Cadet within the next couple of days. Nothing to out of the ordinary there, I mean there were currently only myself, Vince and Larmina, which kinda meant that there were two extra Lions that needed back up pilots.

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Hopefully this wasn't to painful to read, review if you think it should continue.

A shout out and thanks to Myra for encouragement, and also to Loveable Tiger for helping me to fine tune the character of Liz and also for playing beta reader. Your the greatest guys!


	2. Chapt 1: Ordinary Mornings

**Okay, I know absolutely nothing about piloting so anything that doesn't look right I'm sorry! And that will hold true for future chapters as well. **

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Chapter 1: Ordinary Mornings

Daniel Chandler rolled his eyes and sighed softly, Flight class, outside of the simulators, in his opinion was a waste of time and energy, and for the most part he thought the others, well at least Larmina who was leaning her head on a hand and staring off into space, agreed with him. Vince on the other hand looked like he was taking notes and Daniel rolled his eyes again barely managing to sit up straight in his chair and look marginally awake as Lance turned back from the Vid screen to look at them all.

"And that is why the vectors need to be absolutely precise….any questions?"

Keeping with his usual lack luster attitude that everyone seemed to expect from him, Daniel looked Lance in the eye and cockily replied, "Yeah, when do we actually get to put all of this drivel into real practice with the Lions?"

Grinding his teeth, and reminding himself he couldn't kill a cadet, Lance McClain, pilot of red lion and all around loveable flirt, narrowed his eyes , "You get to put it into practice when you can recite it in your sleep!" Glancing to the clock on the back wall Lance smirked, "Alright with 5 min left to class, I guess I can let you in on the news," Shutting down the Vid and leaning back against the wall Lance's smirk grew as all three cadets sat up a little straighter ~~probably think I'm going let them out early or give them time in the lions~~ he thought with a mental snort. "As you all know, Hunk and Pidge left yesterday morning to head to earth, they will be bringing back a new cadet," raising a hand to stall any comments from Daniel Lance continued on, "I expect all of you to help us get this cadet settled and into the swing of things as soon as possible."

"So when's he getting here?" Daniel groaned inwardly, thinking of the fact that with a newbie around he, Larmina and Vince weren't going to get a chance to meet up in their Lair for quite a while!

"She, should be arriving this afternoon," Lance replied, meeting Larmina's gaze and joining her in rolling eyes when the two boys sat up even straighter in their chairs, before continuing with, " and before the two of you get any ideas, she's 17."

Vince slumped in his seat with a small sigh, but Daniel shrugged his shoulders and groaned, "Just great, someone else who's gonna boss us around and tell us what to do!"

"That's hardly fair Daniel, you don't know Cadet Kemuri," said a soft feminine voice from the doorway, "It's not right to make assumptions with little or no information." Allura stepped further into the room and threw Lance one of her patented *you're in trouble mister* eyebrow raises.

Shrugging his shoulders and clapping his hands together Lance ignored Allura and turned to the cadets, "Alright, you've got an hour and a half for lunch, and then I want you in training room 4 for hand to hand practice, so eat lightly!" Sending a pointed look at Daniel Lance finished with, "we don't want a repeat of last time do we?"

Shooting a thousand watt glare at Lance for the reminder of the one and only time he'd over eaten and ended up puking on Keith's shoes from a blow to the stomach, Daniel followed Larmina and Vince out of the room.

"Lance, was that really necessary?" Allura growled softly, having seen the look on Daniels face as he'd left, "and I thought we agreed that we weren't telling them about Cadet Kemuri, until we could all be present to introduce her!"

Lance shrugged his shoulders again, "I'm the one that has to do hand to hand with them today, and have no desire to be puked on, and they already knew something was up when Keith handed them the updated schedule for this afternoons classes, why not keep them from jumping to the wrong conclusions!" Pushing off the wall, Lance gave Allura one of his mega watt smiles, "Coming to dinner, Princess?"

Watching Lance stroll causually out of the room, Allura ground her teeth in frustration.

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My plot bunny seems to be dragging it's heels a little bit, and hopefully this won't make things long, drawn out and boring for everyone. But a little before story is needed before getting to the good stuff!

My Thanks to The-White-Tiger-of-the-West, for taking the time to both beta and encourage me!


	3. Chapter 2a: New Faces & Memory Lanes

**I'm not a computer hacker and therefore know absolutely nothing about what is and isn't possible, remember people this is fiction not real life. Also I would like to stress that Liz will NOT, I repeat capital "N","O","T", be the main focus of this story and though she has a starring role in some chapters she is only there for lack of an extra cadet to play with….heheheh, Who me? Evil? You ain't seen nothing, yet baby…*smirk***

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Chapter 2a: New Faces & Memory Lanes

The soft thrum of the engines, shifting subtly from one speed to another, combined with the low murmur of voices pulled Eliza 'Liz' Kemuri 's attention from the tablet she'd been trying, without much success to study. Glancing forward to the pilot and co-pilot seats, where Tech…no they'd told her they didn't stand on the formalities of rank, Hunk Garret and Pidge Stoker were conversing in quiet tones, she shook her head slightly in disbelief, still completely at a loss as to how she'd gotten picked for this out of hundreds of possibilities.

Letting her mind wander she brought forth the memory of the first time she'd ever set eyes on Pidge Stoker

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_Walking stiffly into the Technology and Information classroom and gingerly sitting down in her usual chair, Cadet Liz Kemuri set her laptop onto the desk, let her bag slide from her shoulder to the floor beneath her chair, and gratefully let her forehead hit the cool metallic surface with a dull thump. Martial arts class had been a huge disappointment once again, her gymnastics allowing for her to catch on fairly quickly to the forms, she just couldn't put the strength behind her blows, and spent far more time on her back on the mats then she did landing hits, and her back and shoulders were paying the price with massive bruising._

_Fighting, at least structured fighting just wasn't something she was good at, but she wasn't foolish enough to believe that she could become a pilot without at least a passing knowledge of hand to hand. Top 10 in Tech and Top 5 in Flight, didn't mean squat when it came to Garrison and their ideas of who was fit to be a soldier._

_Sighing softly, and biting back on a groan, Liz dragged her head up off the desktop as she heard the rest of the class filing in. If it hadn't been for the fact that this class was being taught by a guest lecturer and had been noted as being a mandatory day class for passing, she'd have seriously considered skipping out and heading back to her dorm for a long hot shower and a couple of pain killers._

_Giving a passing glance at the front of the room and the head desk and not seeing anything other than an open laptop she made a quick glance around the room only to have her attention draw back to the front of the class, by the clearing of a distinctly male throat._

"_Good Afternoon! I am Tech Sargent Pidge Stoker," raising a hand before any comments could be made Tech Sargent Stoker continued, "Yes, I am the former pilot of the Green Lion of Voltron, and yes I agree with Sky Marshall Wade that Voltron is a dangerous and therefore un-necessary risk to Galaxy Garrison!" Liz blinked in surprise, the tone of voice made that statement seem truthful, but the strikingly feline shaped green eyes and clearly gritted teeth were screaming an entirely different opinion. After making that statement Stoker, went on to the standard introductory part of the Garrison approved lesson._

_Copying the actions of her classmates, Liz opened up her Laptop and logged into the server, keeping a careful eye on her surroundings, Liz not only brought up the days lesson, but opened two other windows as well, one became a search on any and all information she could find on Tech Sargent Stoker and Voltron, the other window the program she'd been working on for the last three and half months that had so far allowed her to hack into many of the laptops during class without anyone being any the wiser._

_Smirking behind her screen, Liz brought up the specs on the laptops around her finding all but her own and Tech Sargent Stokers to be standard Garrison issued machines, and she smiled as she quickly hacked her way into the other non-standard machine, and the email account listed on it!_

**_To: __glionvltrn4eva. com_**

**_Fr:__user344532vltrn4eva. com_**

**_Subject: I don't believe you!_**

**_With all due respect Tech Sargent, the load of crap you spouted about agreeing with Sky Marshall Wade would be infinitely easier to believe, if you did not appear to be choking on radioactive glass shards. _**

**_You would most likely be safer allowing someone to ask and admitting to being Green Lions Pilot, and then stating you're not allowed to talk about it per Sky Marshall Wade's insistence._**

**_Also consider that it would be much easier on your digestive system as to much Radioactive glass can be lethal, even to Baltians._**

**_Sincerely_**

**_A 'friend' of the Voltron Force_**

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A clearing throat had Liz snapping out of her memory and causing her to lift her eyes to meet mildly concerned green ones.

"Are you alright Cadet?"

"Fine Tec…." a wave of Pidges hand abruptly cutting off her attempt at formality had Liz grinning slightly.

"I believe we covered the fact that we don't stand for formalities," Pidge stated quietly.

"True, but you did address me as Cadet!" Liz replied, "If I'm not to use Tech Sargent, perhaps you should call me Liz, instead."

"She's got you there, little buddy!" Hunk jumped in, and Pidge shook his head.

"Fair enough, just letting you know, we're about 5 minutes out from Arus!" Pidge commented, before turning back to his seat at the controls.

As Arus filled the view screen and she heard Hunk making contact with Castle Control, the stray thought, that perhaps she'd even finally find a place that she could call 'home' entered her mind and was just as quickly and ruthlessly shoved to the background, she didn't need to be allowing herself those sorts of thoughts when she should be concentrating on what was expected of her in terms of her duties.

Watching the two men who were to become her new teachers, mentors and perhaps team mates, Liz swallowed hard on a lump of nerves and squared her shoulders, whatever the reason for her luck in getting chosen for this assignment, she was going to make sure that she was not only taken seriously, but that she also did the job to the best of her ability.


	4. 2b:Memories Revisited & First Impress

**Right! Couple of small things, the beginning of this chapter will read very similar in places to the ending of chapter 2a. H&H should be fairly self explanatory, but just in case it's Hand to Hand, I've assumed that there would be levels we'll say 1-10 and adapted it for my purposes to the Beginner, Low, Mid and High scale. So Mid 1 H&H would be a newbie while a Mid 3 H&H would be a somewhat more advanced cadet, moving up the scale to 10 which is obviously expert…I hope that makes sense! Okay, I think that's everything, reviews are my inspiration so let me know what your think. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 2b: Memories Revisited and First Impressions

The blinking lights of the shuttle console, told Darrel 'Pidge' Stoker they were on course so he let his mind wander, technically there was nothing to do but sit back and wait. _As he partially listened to the story Hunk was telling about his latest escapade against the kitchen staff, Pidge_ found himself watching Cadet Kemuri out of the corner of his eye.

He'd seen her attention waver from the data pad they'd given her on the lions, and also seen her look towards him and Hunk before she'd turned slightly and seemingly stared off into nothing. Recognizing the look of someone lost in a memory, Pidge took the opportunity to study her more carefully.

The feature that had caught his attention first had been her eyes. When they'd first met in the bright sunlight he'd been forced to compare them to molten silver. Now in the darker interior of the shuttle he noted they were dove grey and partially closed in her memories.

Her long red hair several shades darker then Larmina's was pulled back into a no nonsense braid. Form and functionality over aesthetics he supposed, but it left him wondering if 'no nonsense' was a definition of her character. A fleeting thought a female Keith might be joining the team had Pidge snorting mentally before he continued his study.

Her posture screamed military cadet, yet Pidge recalled a note that stated she was failing Martial Arts and his eyes narrowed as he studied her a little closer. Dressed in the standard black and grey cadet uniform she could pass for one out of hundreds of cadets. A proportionally muscular body, no doubt from her years of gymnastics training that was slim yet undeniably female.

Pidge shook his head to chase away his errant thoughts, knowing that while the 'package' might look pretty but unremarkable from a soldiers view, there was more to Cadet Kemuri then what you first saw.

_Remembering_ the email she'd sent him, still safely stored in the encrypted file on his laptop, he smirked and wondered absently if she was aware that he knew who had sent it. The fact that someone had been brazen enough to hack his email account and leave him such a message had infuriated and impressed him in equal parts.

Some careful research into Cadet Kemuri's records and he was no less impressed but certainly less, surprised that she'd attempted it! Cadet Kemuri might appear quiet and unassuming, but there was a fire and spirit underneath that would certainly add a bit of 'zest' to the team.

Glancing at the chronometer and realizing there was only 5 minutes before they'd be landing, he turned in his seat, loathing too interrupt her memories, but knowing that she'd want to be aware for touchdown.

Clearing his throat he winced at the startled jump she gave, and as grey eyes met his own he found himself falling back on the very protocol he and Hunk had insisted they didn't need.

"Are you alright Cadet?"

"Fine Tec…." Waving his hand abruptly had her grinning at him slightly, and he found himself returning that small grin with one of his own.

"I believe we covered the fact that we don't stand for formalities,"

"True, but you did address me as Cadet!" Liz replied, "If I'm not to use Tech Sergeant, perhaps you should call me Liz, instead."

"She's got you there, little buddy!" Hunk jumped in, causing him to shake his head in exasperation.

"Fair enough, just letting you know, we're about 5 minutes out from Arus!" Was the only reply he could make before turning back to the controls, continuing to watch Cadet Kemuri out of the corner of his eye_. _

The faint flash of some unidentifiable emotion in her eyes as she gazed out the view screen had him confused and wondering what was going through her head_. He stored_ it away for later thought, as he guided the shuttle down to the tarmac. Pidge frowned slightly seeing only Allura and Keith waiting on the far side,expecting to see the rest of the team and the cadets waiting for them.

Hitting the panel to open the hatch Pidge looked back over his shoulder and chuckled softly as he watched Hunk and Liz struggling playfully over Liz's duffle. Then the smile on his face faded as he recalled that the duffle was the only piece of luggage Liz had with her, and he found himself wondering again what kind of life she'd been living. Pidge was no expert on 17 year old girls, hell he wasn't an expert on girls, period! However, in what little he knew about them, most of them were prone to having at least a couple of suitcases, not just a worn Garrison issue duffle.

Walking quickly across the tarmac, to join Keith and Allura, Pidge couldn't stop his mind from whirling on the enigma that was Cadet Kemuri.

"Pidge, welcome home" Allura smiled and hugged her small friend, and then looked past him towards the shuttle, where Liz and Hunk were walking towards them. Turning to watch, Pidge grinned slightly as he realized Liz had won the struggle to carry her own bag, and at the disgruntled look his big friend was wearing.

"Your Highness, Commander Kogane may I present Cadet Eliza Kemuri," Pidge stated, and then stepped to the side.

Holding up a hand as Liz started to attempt a curtsey Allura stated, "Pidge has forgotten that I don't stand for the formalities, Allura is fine." Glancing at Liz's duffle and back toward the shuttle, Allura frowned, "Shall I send…" Catching Allura's eye and shaking his head Pidge mouthed 'later' and breathed an inward sigh of relief as Allura turned to Keith and quickly finished, "someone ahead to tell Lance or shall we surprise him?"

"If Lance isn't here to meet us, I think he deserves the surprise," Pidge said catching Keith's eye, and thanking every deity he could remember that his commander was so good at reading between the lines when Keith simply nodded, though Pidge didn't miss the 'we're going to talk later' message in his commanders dark eyes.

The walk through the castle was uneventful, with the only sound being Allura's giving Liz a small history lesson as they walked along, and Pidge took the opportunity to observe Liz a little more. He saw how she listened intently to everything Allura was saying, but also appeared to be taking in all the entrances and exits at the same time. Pidge noted that Keith seemed quite pleased with the attention she was giving to her surroundings.

Reaching the door to training room 4, Pidge wasn't surprised to hear Lance's voice berating Daniel. He shook his head, knowing this was not the most flattering introduction to the cadets, but he supposed a truthful one. As Pidge followed the others into the training room, he couldn't wait to see what Liz's reaction would be.

Searching Liz's face as she watched Daniel working against the sim, Pidge's eyebrows drew together in confusion. She appeared to be both immensely impressed, and thoroughly pissed off at the same time; Pidge couldn't help but wonder what had her so pissed.

As the sim landed a blow against Daniel's jaw, knocking his head halfway around as a small streak of blood appeared, Pidge noticed that Liz jumped slightly hearing the sharply barked "Sim Freeze!" That caused the heads of the four on and near the mats to look in the direction of the door, where Keith was standing.

Stepping forward slightly and letting out a low impressed whistle, Liz applauded lightly as Daniel got to his feet wiping the back of his fist across his cheek and mouth removing the blood. The 'are you messing with me' look on his face had Pidge chuckling inwardly and he could tell that it had amused Liz as well.

A low snort, from Lance drew Liz's attention to him with a glare and narrowed eyes that most likely would've clued a more observant man into the fact that someone was not impressed with him.

"Not something to get excited about. " Lance stated with a snarky smirk and gave another snort, "In fact that was his worst round yet!"

"Really? His worst?" Liz turned to look once again in Daniel's direction, "Then I'm certainly impressed by Cadet….?"

"Chandler," Was the somewhat grudging reply from Daniel and the furrow of his eyebrows told Pidge he was waiting for the punch line, even though Pidge could tell there wasn't going to be one.

Pausing slightly with a frown Liz continued, "and what is a High 2 H&H?" she asked.

Taking in the sneer growing on Lance's face from Cadet Kemuri's blatantly ignoring his statements, Pidge found himself grinning inwardly at the fact that his friend wasn't getting the fawning he so often expected.

"Beginner 3" Daniel answered the look of confusion on his face deepening.

Growling softly Liz snapped out, "Then I'm doubly impressed, that you're not on your way to the med bay, or lying dead on the mat, after facing what is the equivalent of 3 on 1!" Four sets of eyes snapped forward regarding Liz with disbelieving stares! Allura's face was a mask of confusion and Pidge wasn't at all shocked to hear Keith's voice ring out in a cold clipped tone.

"Explain!"

Watching as Liz pulled herself automatically into an 'at attention' stance Pidge wondered where this was going.

"This sim is based off the Academy ones, yes?" Liz questioned Keith respectfully, and at his nod she continued, "Then you know that each time someone fights the sim, its holo memory stores its opponent's moves, and it recycles them into its own programming to work with as a way of improving the fighter's technique!" A snort from Lance and his hand moving in a 'get to the point' gesture brought a faint trace of a sneer to Liz's face before she schooled her features back normal.

"Your point?" Lance drawled, and Pidge couldn't help but wince at the sarcasm that had laced his tone.

Liz's voice, now icy cold continued, "I'm only a Mid 1 H&H and can't fight my way out of a wet paper bag, but even I can see the 3 distinctly different fighting styles the sim was using, one being Mr. Hot Shot over there…."

Lance's growl and his snapped, "That's Lieutenant Hot Shot to you Cadet," had Liz shooting daggers out of her eyes as she pinned Lance with a glare that could strip paint off the Lions.

"Funny thing that, respect, like a rank is earned, not demanded, Lieutenant" the word Lieutenant being gritted out, laced with barely disguised venom, and Pidge had the feeling that if looks could kill Lance wouldn't be with them for very long.

Liz turned her attention back to Keith and continued as if she hadn't been interrupted, "the second style was similar though not exactly so to Sensi Hidoshi from the Academy."

Pidge winced recognizing almost immediately the verbal description of his commanding officers fighting style, and was slightly surprised to see Keith wince as well knowing his commanding officers usual attention to details, such as making sure the sim was reset at the end of a session.

Taking on the look of someone who was lost in trying to recall a lesson or piece of information Liz paused before continuing," and the third I didn't recognize, but if I had to put a name to it I'd say the closest would be Ninja."

Pidge frowned knowing he hadn't been anywhere near the sim in over a week, and he shrugged his shoulders as Keith sent him a questioning glance. Noting the sudden draining of color in Lance and Larmina's faces at the mention of the other two fighting styles, Pidge groaned softly.

"My point is that the sim was not reset at the beginning of the lesson." Liz finished and Pidge nodded making a mental note to add a safety protocol to the sim to reset with each new fight.

Lance moving forward before Keith had a chance to say anything had Pidge on edge, waiting for a comment or fight between Lance and Liz. To his surprise Lance ignored Liz completely focusing all of his attention on Daniel.

"Consider this your upgrade to Mid 3 Cadet" was the strangled comment, before Lance, still pale as chalk disappeared out the door.

The heavy silence that hung over the training room after Lance's departure had Pidge wishing he knew what to say and then immediately thankful when Allura softly cleared her throat.

Watching Liz closely Pidge was confused to see the confidence she'd shown evaporate, and be replaced with a hint of trepidation, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he filed away yet another piece of information for later study.

"Larmina why don't you and the boys, show Cadet Kemuri to her room." Allura suggested in her diplomatic tone, one that Pidge recognized as a cover to the questions she was bound to have once their core group was alone.

A sharp nod from Larmina followed by her making a quick motion to the boys with her hand was punctuated by Keith's low toned.

"Dinner is at 0700!"

As the cadets filed out of the room, Pidge started to move towards the sim controls on the wall, when a restraining hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks. Turning a questioning eye to his commander, Pidge caught the concerned glint in Keith's eyes and knew instinctively that Keith was going to suggest the team make finding Lance, and checking that he was alright their first priority.

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**Need to throw out a MAJOR Thanks to SallyOn who's joined the beta team and been flooded with my constant bad writing and pathetic whining. And also Thanks to White-Tiger-of-The-West for rough draft beta reads and putting up with my constant chatter. Both have been huge life savers, Love ya guys!**


	5. Chapt 3:Second Thoughts & Second Chances

**Hope everyone's still enjoying the story. There have been some pointed PM's telling me that it's to focused on Liz, there isn't enough action and demanding to know if there's romance coming and between which characters. I'm sorry those people feel that way, however the story comes out the way it comes out, and I simply write it as I see and feel it. That said, if you don't like the story you don't have to read it I respect your opinion and your choice.**

**Also I've been told and realize that I've been lacking in a disclaimer, though I thought it was rather obvious I don't own Voltron or it's characters. The only thing that is mine is the character of Liz and the story idea. Also this story doesn't directly follow any version of the show, though there may be elements of those sprinkled throughout.**

**Happy Reading!  
**

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Chapt 3: Second Thoughts & Second Chances

Still standing in the training room the four original team members regarded each other silently, and Pidge found himself wondering why Keith hadn't asked him to track Lance's voltcom or made any moves to leave the room.

Watching as his commanding officer held up a hand to stall whatever comment Allura seemed ready to make, Pidge took note of Keith looking down at his watch and then nodding sharply, before turning on his heel and heading for the hallway.

It took less than a minute for Pidge to make the decision to follow, knowing instinctively that Allura and Hunk were only steps behind. He was following close enough that when Keith suddenly stopped in the doorway of the fitness gym, he nearly ran directly into his commander's back. Only a swift side step saved him from the collision leaving him with a clear view of the interior.

On the far side of the gym Lance was swinging his fists furiously at one of the punching bags, with words like 'bitch', 'cocky', and, 'stupid' being grunted out between each punch. Pidge shook his head as he watched Keith cross the room to take a bracing stance on the opposite side of the bag.

Hearing another string of curse words, he took a seat on a nearby bench knowing it was going to be a while before Keith could calm Lance down. Putting Lance's legendary temper aside, Pidge knew full well that his friend was also beating himself up for his own mistakes.

Bracing his elbows on his knees and removing his glasses, Pidge let the hand holding his glasses dangle while he pinched the bridge of his nose with the other, vaguely he noted that Allura had joined him on the bench, but that Hunk had opted to lean against the wall, his big friends arms folded, chin dipping to his chest and brow furrowed in thought.

The sounds of fists had stopped but the heated discussion between Lance and Keith was still going on.

"She doesn't belong here Keith, if she can't show respect to a superior and not try and make us all out to be fools, she's not force material!"

"And you'd have done the same," Keith replied a raised eyebrow and slightly disapproving frown aimed in Lance's direction, "and you did when you were at the academy."

"That's different, and you know it!"

Pidge missed Keith's reply as he tiredly rubbed his eyes and then started massaging his temples. A massive headache was forming, things just weren't adding up, and he hated when things didn't make sense.

"You okay there pipsqueak," Lances voice pulled him away from his inner thoughts, and Pidge nodded slightly

"Fine Lance" Missing the exchange of worried looks between his friends at his allowing the hated nickname to pass, Pidge slid his glasses back on and pushed them up his nose.

Allura's soft clearing of her throat had attention turned to her "Has anyone read her file?"

"I don't care about the stinking file," Lance snarled, "There's nothing in that file that could possibly make a difference."

"Orphaned at four, no living relatives leading to foster homes, top 10 in technology, top 5 in flight, passing grade in Physical Education, but failing Martial Arts" Keith's no nonsense tone summarized the file giving a unidentifiable glance in Lance's direction.

"So, on her own no outside financial aid and making do on Garrison scholarships." Pidge stated noting the look of confusion on Allura's face.

"Garrison scholarships only cover course materials, lodging, limited meals and uniforms Allura" Keith said quietly.

"Explaining why all she has luggage wise is her Garrison Duffle." Hunk added a thoughtful look across his face matching the gentle tone of his voice.

"And Foster Care would've dropped her like a hot potato the minute she was enrolled." Lance added in an even tone and Pidge noted that the hostility Lance had been showing until this point had dropped marginally.

The hostility hadn't disappeared Pidge knew that, Lance wasn't one to let slights against himself or his teammates slide that easily, but there was a possibility for him to allow the person to right the wrong with time.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Adjusting the strap of the duffle on her shoulder she fell into step with Lady Larmina as they trailed down the hallway in the wake of the two male cadets. Liz mentally slapped herself repeatedly for her lack of restraint. Lieutenant McClain with his brash, and snarky attitude had pushed all of her buttons. Making her chalk him up mentally as one of many of the bullies she'd dealt with over the years and she'd reacted without thinking of the consequences.

Bringing her attention from her inner turmoil to the present she found herself studying the two young men in front of her carefully. Chandler seemed brash and unrestrained, a veritably huge explosion waiting to happen. The other cadet seemed a much calmer and more dependable sort, and Liz frowned slightly as she realized she didn't even have his name.

The boys seemed lost in their own discussion and Liz wasn't truly in the mood to interrupt and turn the attention to her and the multitude of questions she knew would come afterwards. Not to mention she could always look it up later on.

A soft cough brought her attention to the young woman beside her and she smiled sheepishly, "My apologies Lady…" the cross look and hasty hand waving making her wonder vaguely if she'd gotten the wrong title.

"Larmina, no Lady, no ladyship, grace, highness or whatever, those titles are my Aunts" came the surprisingly vehement reply.

Nodding and tucking away the observation that Larmina was not only incredibly loyal to her aunt but was determined to be 'just one of the girls' Liz glanced around to find the boys had disappeared and she and Larmina were the only ones in a corridor that was unfamiliar.

Casting a questioning look at her companion, Liz couldn't help but grin slightly as Larmina shrugged

"They're always running off, they'll show up for dinner, they always do!"

Watching as Larmina turned away from her and punched a set of numbers into a keypad Liz wondered what exactly the relationship was between Larmina and the boys.

"This is your room, the lock code is 17319, but you can change it if you want." Nodding Liz stepped through the door and was immediately taken by surprise.

Used to the sparse décor of her Garrison dorm room, the sight of the large bed and desk in one corner, balanced by the small sitting area in the opposite corner was slightly intimidating. Two doors one of which she assumed led to the bathroom, the other leading to the balcony and a large window overlooking the lake in the distance complete with window seat had Liz's head spinning.

"You're the only other girl, and my room is in the family wing. Aunt Allura figured you'd enjoy your own space." Larmina shrugged her shoulders in a 'what can you do' way, "Do you need help unpacking or would you like to rest before dinner?"

Shaking her head softly and knowing instinctively it would do no good to argue, at least not at the current time, Liz found herself giving Larmina a tentative smile.

"I can handle it, and a rest before dinner is fine."

Watching Larmina nod sharply and head out the door Liz wondered if she'd said something wrong. Chalking it up to not really knowing Larmina that well, she pushed it to the back of her mind.

Sighing softly and setting her duffle onto the end of the bed, Liz regarded it for a moment then recalling the less than stellar impression she'd made earlier on, decided against unpacking. Moving over to the window seat and tucking her knees under her chin Liz stared unseeing out the window towards the lake, mentally going over the events from the last few hours.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Hunk Garret plodded along the corridor with a weary stride, a contemplative frown etched deeply into his usually cheerful big face. It had taken an hour and a half of Keith and Allura arguing with Lance along with some small comments from himself and his 'little buddy', to get Lance to agree to give Cadet Kemuri another chance.

His frown deepening Hunk winced inwardly as he recalled Lance's snide comments about the next 'overbearing bitch' incident by Kemuri being his ticket to packing her up and shipping her back to earth. Hunk knew his friend demanded a lot from his students, he was fair in that if the cadet gave their best he'd help them in any way he could. However, Lance had high standards and very limited patience when dealing with raw cadets, and Hunk often wondered if Lance realized he came down harder on the cadets that mimicked his own younger self.

Letting out a heavy sigh Hunk looked around and shook his head. His mental wanderings, had led to physical wandering as well, and he was half way across the castle from where he actually wanted to be.

Turning to glance back the way he'd come Hunk glanced at his watch and decided he had the time to wander back. It would give him more time to figure out what to say when he got there. He'd already cleared his idea with Keith and Allura, and they'd seemed happy with it. Though he didn't think Keith was entirely certain he'd be very good at connecting with Cadet Kemuri, and it was a fair thought; a family of brothers didn't give someone good insight on girls.

First he'd planned to take Liz and Larmina into town for dinner. His reason being girls would talk to other girls before anyone else. Then when they'd forgotten he was there, he'd just sit back and listen. The problem was he knew Lance would have complained about 'special favors' to the new cadet, and so soon after recent events Hunk didn't feel like creating more problems.

He'd finally decided to ask Pidge and Larmina to meet him at Cadet Kemuri's room and they'd go to dinner as a group in the kitchens. When Pidge had asked him why the kitchens, he'd simply shrugged and said it seemed like a good idea.

His thought was that maybe the less formal setting, and not having to deal with Lance in one of his moods would be best for everyone. It also seemed more comfortable for getting to know someone

Turning the corner Hunk brought his thoughts back to the present and noticed Larmina and Pidge had beaten him there.

"Hey Hunk, I've chimed twice and no answer, Pidge doesn't want to just walk in," Larmina stated rolling her eyes.

"You could go first, make sure she's ready!" Hunk replied and watched as Larmina punched in the code, as the door slid open Hunk could see that Liz was sitting on the window seat, apparently so lost in thought she hadn't heard the chime.

Waiting near the door as Larmina crossed the room and got Liz's attention Hunk took a quick glance around and noticed her duffle sitting on the end of the bed still fully packed. He glanced at Pidge to find his friend had noticed as well. Putting on a smile as the two girls walked towards them, chatting quietly, Hunk decided to wait on making any comments.

"So Hunk and Pidge are going to join us in the kitchen for dinner." Only catching the end of Larmina's explanation Hunk wondered what she'd told Liz and then decided it really didn't matter as long as they all got to go and eat.

Motioning for the girls to go ahead of them, Hunk frowned slightly as he saw Liz's lips move in a mutter to low for him to hear, and Pidge's eyebrows come together in confusion.

Waiting for the girls to get a few steps ahead and then falling into step easily with his shorter friend, Hunk coughed lightly to get Pidge's attention.

"What's bothering you 'Little Buddy'?"

"She's expecting to be sent back to earth," Pidge frowned slightly, "you saw, her bag is still packed and I'm sure she didn't expect either of us to hear, but she muttered 'condemned's last meal!' as she went by us."

Shaking his head sadly and placing a large hand on his friends shoulder for a gentle pat Hunk sighed, "Guess we'll just have to show her that it takes more than a rough start to make us give up on someone, right?"

The rest of the walk to the kitchens was spent in semi comfortable silence as the girls had waited for them to catch up and Hunk wondered for a moment if he should've tried to spend the time with Liz one on one. Watching as Larmina pointed out interesting Arusian paintings and such along their path he decided he'd made the right choice. Liz seemed to be relaxing and somewhat enjoying Larmina's chatter.

Entering the kitchen, Hunk smiled as cook waved at him and motioned off to the side where meals had been placed on a small table out of the way of the staff, and far enough out of traffic to be able to talk without shouting. Making his own motion for his companions to take their seats Hunk was happy to see Larmina pointing out her favorite Arusian dishes and Liz asking questions. Sharing a nod with Pidge, Hunk gave himself a mental 'well done' and settled in to eat and try to start a friendly conversation.

Just as he was about to ask a question, Hunk groaned loudly as he was interrupted by the harsh sounding of the Castle Alarm.

"Why is always at meal time?" he asked as he pushed away from the table and followed Pidge and Larmina from the room, hearing a soft snort from his right, he looked over and gave Liz a faintly sheepish smile, glad to see she'd decided to follow along.

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**A huge load of thank yous going out to SallyOn and White Tiger for their patience and invaluable advice. You guys are the greatest.**


	6. Chapt 4:Enough is Enough

**No witty remarks or rants today! Hope everyone is still enjoying the story!**

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Chapter 4: Enough is Enough

Larmina stormed down the hall towards her Aunt's office. Outwardly she was trying to project a façade of calm indifference but failing miserably! Anyone within ten feet of Lady Larmina could tell that she was upset. The staff had learned long ago, to keep heads down and get out of the way when Lady Larmina was in one of her moods. The result was a lot of ducking quickly into side rooms, whether they had business there or not.

Inside Larmina was seething! It had been a week and a half since the dinner in the kitchen and in that time she and Liz had begun to spend more time together. Sometimes with the boys, other times just hanging out and talking girl talk. It was nice to have another girl, someone who was near her own age to talk to. While she loved her Aunt dearly, there were times that she was just too old fashioned.

She wasn't mad at Liz; in fact she was mad 'for' Liz. Lance was getting completely out of hand with his treatment of her new friend. She could understand that he'd been hurt by Liz's actions in the beginning, but a week was more than enough time to step back, and see that it wasn't done in spite or to be cruel.

The biggest part of the problem was since that first day; Liz had begun to simply bite her tongue every time Lance made any comments to or about her. She would simply take whatever criticizing remark Lance threw at her and merely respond with a polite 'yes sir'. This only seemed to compound the problem, for every time that Liz refused to rise to his baiting, Lance's comments would get decidedly worse. Today had been the final straw, because when even Daniel had winced at the exchange between Liz and Lance, Larmina knew that things had gone on long enough.

The boys had agreed to the point that things were getting out of hand. Vince even made a comment about talking with Pidge when they got together for one of their research projects. Daniel had shrugged and said he'd back both of them up if it came to it. Larmina had watched confused, as Daniel had turned and wandered away, an oddly thoughtful look on his face.

Despite Liz's comments that it was fine, and that she didn't want the others getting involved, Larmina had decided that it was time to put her foot down. She was going to go to someone who could do something about it!

Reaching her destination and knocking swiftly on the frame of her Aunt's open office door, Larmina breezed into the room. She watched as her aunt finished signing a paper before looking up at her.

Pacing back and forth for a moment to try and both calm down and organize her thoughts, Larmina caught the deepening look of worry on her Aunts face. She sighed heavily before she flopped into the chair in front of her Aunts desk, and growled softly.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Hearing the swift knock, Allura finished signing the paper in front of her and raised her head to greet her guest with a smile. It faded as she took in the sight of Larmina pacing back and forth.

Watching as her niece slumped heavily in the chair across from her, Allura frowned both at her niece's posture, and also at the frustration rolling off Larmina in huge waves.

"What's wrong Larmina?"

Allura mentally braced herself; she had a feeling she knew exactly what was wrong and where this conversation was headed. The fact that Lance had been in her office early in the morning ranting about Cadet Kemuri had been the start of a long day. Though she cared for Lance dearly, she'd never been happier to see him leave her office to go teach his self defense class.

"Wrong? Oh nothing's wrong, at least if you don't consider someone who's supposed to be an adult, and someone we're supposed to look up to making comments about someone's lack of family, wrong!"

Allura winced at both the tone and subject of Larmina's rant. She couldn't believe that Lance would go far enough to make cracks of that nature, and she was waiting for Larmina to pause so she could clear the matter up.

"I mean I get the fact that he's still ticked off over that first day, fine he's entitled to be upset. But really? Shot's at family? Come on, I mean even Daniel agreed he was way out of line and we all know Daniel's emotional range is well below average."

"Alright, why don't you tell me what was said. It's possible that you misunderstood….."

"How can you misunderstand and I quote, 'obviously your family didn't care enough to teach you basic survival skills'? He knows she's an orphan, that comment was just beyond … beyond…aaagh!"

Watching as Larmina threw her hands in the air and started pacing again, Allura sighed softly. She had hoped that time would cool Lance's temper, but it seemed there was no middle ground for him.

"Aunt Allura, I know that Liz didn't start on the right foot. And I know she's got ground to make up, but frankly it's difficult to sit back and watch her be put down. I mean, Lance went all off on respect, but isn't respect a two way deal? He's not even giving her a chance! He keeps picking at her, and waiting for her to blow up so that he can ship her back to earth. I want to kick his butt so bad, and I can't, but I…"

"Larmina, sit! " Waiting until Larmina was once again sitting across from her. Allura sighed and folded her hands on top of her desk, as she leaned forward "I promise I will speak to Lance! But…I can't promise that it will make a difference."

Watching as Larmina sighed and nodded, Allura smiled softly. She knew that Larmina and the boys had begun to see Liz as a part of their own special little group. She was curious to hear more about the dynamics between the four young people.

"Now…why don't you tell me how all four of you are getting along, and what sorts of things you've been up to when not in class?"

Un-noticed by the two women in the office, Lance McClain stood just outside the door. He'd arrived, planning on ranting to Allura about Kemuri's lack of ability in Martial arts, only to stop short of entering the office when he'd heard Larmina speaking. Pulling back from the door and feeling much like he'd been sucker punched in the stomach, Lance mentally looked back over class and winced. Turning on his heel and marching down the hall towards castle control, he decided he needed a fly with red to get his thoughts straightened out.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Vincent Reese wandered down the hall towards the Tech Bay, where he and Pidge had been spending a lot of time lately. They'd been studying haggarium, and trying to find a way to shield against it. They were also experimenting to see if it had any other properties they could use.

Shaking his head, Vince groaned softly as he thought back over the day. He hadn't really been surprised at the harsh way Lance was dealing with Liz. In a lot of ways Liz had ended up taking what was once Daniels place at the bottom of the pack. He did think though, that Daniel's agreeing something was not right, was a sign that maybe his friend was starting to grow up. He also agreed with Larmina that enough was enough, and it was time to go for advice or outside help.

Moving into the Tech Bay, and over to one of the tables Vince picked up a tablet. Finding it to be one he'd worked on last time, he started to read through his notes only to find himself not really seeing the information. Sighing and setting the tablet back down, Vince grabbed a stool and sat, closing his eyes and drumming his fingers lightly on the table.

Something in the back of his mind was nagging at him, but for the life of him he couldn't understand what it was. The last few nights he'd found it hard to sleep and last night had even taken a walk down to King Alfor's tomb. The king had never appeared, and there'd been no conversations, but Vince had felt a general sense of un-ease in the air which had done little to help him sleep.

Bringing his attention back to the present and opening his eyes, Vince frowned. There was still no sign of Pidge, and he was quite certain they'd agreed to meet to go over research. Just as he was about to call Pidge on his voltcom the man in question came hurrying into the room.

"Sorry Vince. Hunk had some upgrades he wanted to show me and I lost track of time."

Smiling slightly Vince shook his head. The only way to get Hunk and Pidge away from upgrades to the Lions was to offer food and another problem to be solved respectively.

"It's alright, I was thinking about other things anyway."

"Anything you need to talk about?"

Vince couldn't help but grin! Pidge was always willing to listen to him ramble about his thoughts whether they pertained to work, or just odd random bits of information. Shaking his head Vince sighed.

"Well, there's Lance and Liz and their inability to get along. Then there's the haggarium problem, and there's this…this weird feeling that I should know something, but no clue as to what it is I should know." Taking in the thoughtful look on Pidge's face, Vince shrugged his shoulders, "Take your pick!"

Watching as Pidge grabbed a stool and sat across from him, Vince caught the fleeting looks of upset, confusion, and resignation that flowed across his face. Then they settled into the usual mask of determined genius that Pidge always seemed to wear.

"You know that Lance and Liz are going to have to work things out on their own."

Shaking his head, Vince groaned softly and caught Pidge's questioning look.

"We've left them to work it out for the last week Pidge, it's not going anywhere. And today….well Daniel even commented that Lance's statement was out of line. Larmina's gone to talk to Allura, so I guess that's okay, it's just aggravating not to be able to do anything."

"Daniel commented on something being out of line?" The look of utter surprise on Pidge's face had Vince wanting to laugh, and he bit the inside of his cheek to stop the feeling before making his reply.

"Yeah! Apparently comments about family not caring enough to teach basic survival skills, when someone is an orphan, is enough to make Daniel act at least a little grown up."

Seeing the wince and narrowed eyes from his mentor told Vince all he needed to know about Pidge's thoughts on the 'family' comment.

"Ouch! You said Larmina was going to Allura about this?"

Nodding Vince watched as Pidge seemed to be processing the information before saying anything else. That was one of the things Vince admired so much about Pidge. He didn't just make statements he thought about them and tried to reach a logical conclusion before sharing his opinion. Pulling his thoughts back to the present Vince realized Pidge was speaking again.

"Okay, I think it's best to leave that with Allura for now, she'll speak to Lance. Going on to the haggarium problems, you know as well as I do that you can't expect results immediately. It's going to take time. So that leaves this 'feeling' of yours, can you explain it to me?"

Sighing heavily Vince saw the concerned look on Pidge's face, and he tried to martial his thoughts into some type of order. Shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders he opened his mouth to try and explain when the blaring of the castle alarms sounded! He and Pidge raced for the door.

As they ran for castle control, Vince found himself mentally wondering how you explained a feeling to someone that you couldn't even explain to yourself. Wondering if he'd ever figure it out, Vince grit his teeth as the cold tendrils of unease wrapped more tightly around him sending a shiver down his spine.

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**Thanks again to SallyOn and WhiteTiger for their patience and advice. And Myra for poking at me to find the next chapter...LOL.**


	7. APOLOGIES

**I'm sorry to do this everyone, but at the moment RL has hit me with a couple of really big zingers, I just don't have the time to do this right now. I hope to be able to come back to it soon. I may or may not post some other work, mostly one shot stories. But any multi chapter works are gonna be put on hold for now.**


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